Your Partner on the Hunt: Making the Most of a Recruiter as a Client

Posted on May 2016 By Speller International
Your Partner On The Hunt Making The Most Of A Recruiter As A Client

​A recruiter is the best partner you can have on your search for the perfect candidate. So how do you make the most of this relationship?

Collaborate to Succeed

Get some facetime.

And not just on your iPhone! Meet with recruiters face to face if possible. Often the best relationships are those with regular in-person meetings and the more your recruiter knows you, your team and the project – the better equipped they are at finding you the ideal candidate for your team.

Exclusivity works well.

Giving exclusivity to a recruiter when possible will ensure an accurate message into the market, not a different version of the company and role from a number of recruiters. Top talent wants to feel ‘special’, like they have been exclusively approached about good roles, and an exclusive recruiter avoids double-handling high value candidates like these.

Consult all skills.

A great recruitment agent serves as a consultant for all areas of the search process. In partnering with your agent and fully utilising their wealth of skills, you:

  • Receive ‘live’ market information from your recruiter including salary benchmarking, competitor information or simply that the recruitment brief may need to be altered to attract the right candidate to a client.

  • If you have a panel of recruiters – stick to them during the contract period. They have probably negotiated very favourable terms of business to receive volume roles and commitment from you – so at least give them the opportunity to deliver first. If they consistently don’t deliver the right talent – then look to use external providers not on the panel, and probably think about a panel update.

Communication makes it happen

Listen.

A great partnership starts with great conversation. Your recruiter lives and breathes their sector/market so if they mention the person you are looking for doesn’t exist, it’s worth taking a second look at your requirements.

Cover other ground.

Talk to your recruiter about things other than hiring. They are a fountain of knowledge about salary guides, trends, and projects and can give valuable insights into your market. Likewise, talk to them about more than just the role you’re recruiting – a good understanding of your culture, team and vision helps them to better match you with a candidate.

And don’t forget to talk about non-work related things; interests, family, hobbies! Get to know the person with whom you will potentially work with long term!

Be honest – even if the news is bad.

Your recruiter is on your side – and they want to know if one of the people they are recommending is not performing. This is also for the candidate’s benefit: a recruiter wants to help them find the perfect role, and needs to know if they are doing anything to stop this happening.

Arm them with knowledge.

It is important that your recruiter is fully briefed on the role and business with as much information as possible. After all, they are acting on your behalf. This will ensure that all potential candidates approached will receive a consistent, accurate and quality message about the role.

Timing is key

Quick as you can.

As clients know, good candidates disappear quickly. Work with your recruiter in order to ensure you can secure your chosen candidate. Your recruiter will act swiftly on your behalf to suit your interview availability and to ‘lock them in’ once you’ve decided to offer the position.

A recruiter is a valuable partner on your search for the perfect candidate. Communication, collaboration and mutual respect will help you get great results – and build a gun team.